The Product of Hatred
by NamikazeMinato99
Summary: 7 years after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, an enemy who was long thought dead makes his move. COMPLETE
1. He Who Lives in Darkness

Chapter 1: He Who Lives in Darkness

It had been 7 years since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. 7 years since the structure of the Shinobi World changed forever. The era of rivalry and hatred had long since passed and was replaced with trust and friendship. With the threat of war almost non-existent and every Village seeking peace, every man, woman and child found that they were far happier with their lives. Well, almost every man. There was still one who continued to linger in the darkness. The rest of the world believed he was dead, but they were wrong. He was simply waiting in the shadows, allowing his hatred to grow. Finally, it reached its peak and he was ready to release his hatred upon the world. The peace that hade been enjoyed for the last few years was about to come to an end.

The Raikage, Ay, walked out of the meeting with an unbelievable headache. Planning the annual celebrations that marked the end of the last World War was always an annoying and difficult task. He was a warrior, not a party planner. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even be going to this celebration. However, he knew that wasn't an option. He didn't want to be the one to sour relations between the nations after they had worked so hard for peace. As a Kage, he knew that he had responsibilities and he would see them through. Although, he couldn't deny that the job was becoming more tiresome. He supposed that his age was becoming to catch up with him and that he should start thinking of a successor. Who would that be? He had no idea. His brother would have been an ideal choice, if he weren't such an immature fool. Darui, maybe? He certainly had the brains for the job and he had youth on his side.

"_Why am I thinking about this now?" _he thought, _"I still have years ahead of me. This kind of thing can be decided later."_

Ay walked through the streets of his Village, appreciating the beauty of it. The lights emanating from the buildings illuminated the dark streets below, a rare sight that can only be seen in the Hidden Cloud Village. The buildings were all built on top small mountains and could only be seen from the clouds, which is how the village gained its name. The combination of the cool air and quietness from the streets was already having the desired effect. Ay could feel the pain in his head numbing and calmness descend upon him.

As he turned the corner and entered a quiet side street, he stopped in his tracks. He turned his head slightly, and stared into the shadows.

"Come out, whoever you are. I know you're there" he demanded, his voice as harsh as ever. He continued to stare as a hooded figure emerged from the shadows and stepped into the light in the street. The nameless figure stood about 5'10", making his significantly smaller than Ay. He also appeared to be rather skinny and didn't seem to be much of a threat physically. However, the Raikage was an experienced warrior and knew not to underestimate his opponents despite their appearance.

"Raikage" the hooded figure said, elongating the beginning of the word. "It seems that you are as alert as ever. That's good, as it means this won't be too boring."

The way the man spoke was strangely familiar, but Ay couldn't quite figure out who it was. What he did know, was that he was not a Hidden Cloud Shinobi, as no one from his own village would dare confront him like this.

"Going to hide behind a hood are we?" Ay taunted. "Trying to hide your identity isn't very original. Either way, I'm going to crush you!"

Ay yelled his last line and looked to intimidate his assailant. Yet, it didn't quite give off the reaction he had hoped for. Rather than cowering in fear, he simply laughed at him. Ay felt his anger swell, but didn't allow it to get the better of him. It was obvious this was exactly what the enemy was trying to do.

"I'm not looking to hide my face," the hooded man said, after he had finished laughing. "In fact, it would be more beneficial if you were to see my face, or more specifically, if you could see my eyes."

The man reached for his hood and slowly pulled it down. The first thing Ay noticed was the jet-black hair that reached down to his shoulders and spiked up at the back. The man's general outline slightly reminded Ay of a raven. Then, Ay noticed his eyes and all became clear. They were blood red with three black dots surrounded a black circle at the centre of the eye. This rare kekkei genkai belonged to one extinct clan and the fact that the man had awakened it in both eyes, meant that there was only one person it could be.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Ay nervously exclaimed, hoping that he was somehow mistaken. "That's not possible, you're supposed to be dead!"

"True" Sasuke replied, his lips curling into a devious smile. "Yet, here I am standing in front of you. Amazing, isn't it?"

Ay's entire body was shaking as he continued to stare at Sasuke. He had been sure that he watched Sasuke die on the battlefield. How could he have survived?

"Well" Ay shouted, regaining his composure. "I suppose this is my lucky day. I can kill you with my own two hands, like I said I would years ago."

Ay prepared to attack, but before he could, Sasuke made his move. Before Ay had even moved, Sasuke was already standing just inches away from him, looking into his eyes.

"_He's so fast" _Ay thought, _"I don't think even the Hokage is capable of moving at that speed. What am I going to do now?"_

"Usually I'd stick around and play with you a little, but sticking around in this village any longer than I have to isn't wise" Sasuke whispered, his tone very aggressive. "So, just look into my eyes and it'll all be over quickly. Well, quickly for me." Sasuke laughed as he uttered the last line, enjoying his position of authority.

"Tsukoyomi" he said softly, the design in his eyes suddenly switching to his Mangekyo Sharingan. Just a second afterwards, Ay dropped to his knees. He was breathing heavily and visibly shaking.

"I have to say, you've impressed me," Sasuke said mockingly. "Most people who don't possess a Sharingan would have died straight away. You are as resilient as ever Raikage."

"You've not won" Ay croaked, fighting through the pain. "Even if you kill me, you won't be able to kill the spirits of this village, or of the whole Shinobi World. Your hatred will never be able to overcome the love that he has brought."

Sasuke stared angrily at Ay, but then turned his face into a smirk.

"As if I care what you have to say" he spat, as he put his hands together. Sasuke lazily made some hand signs, and then stretched his left arm out facing the floor, with his right hand holding onto his left wrist.

"Let's see how well you do against this attack this time" he said, as a ball of white lightning formed in his palm. The sound of birds chirping echoed all around them. Ay could hear every word and see what Sasuke was doing, but he couldn't react. He knew that he had been crippled by the genjutsu and he couldn't stop what was about to come next. So, he closed his eyes and thought back to the old days. As the Fourth Raikage left this world, he thought of his brother, Killer Bee, his great rival, The Fourth Hokage and of the village he had loved since he was a child. Finally, the light went out and his body hit the ground.

Sasuke stood over his victim and studied his face. He saw a smile etched on there, mocking him. He kicked the corpse's face hard, so that it pointed the other way. In the distance, he could hear the sound of panicked voices. He supposed that the sound of Chidori, as well as the bright light it emitted, had alerted anyone who was nearby. Sasuke quickly made more seals and smashed his palm into the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu" he said, and a great ball of white smoke appeared. After it cleared, a giant brown hawk stood there, flapping its wings impatiently. Sasuke quickly jumped onto it's back and took off into the air. As he was leaving, he looked down onto the streets and watched as multiple people gathered around the Raikage's body. Sasuke would have liked to stay around and watch them cry out in pain, but decided it was best to leave.

"This is just the start brother. I promise you that," he whispered, as the hawk flew away from the village and into the blackness of the night.


	2. Fulfilling Dreams

Chapter 2: Fulfilling Dreams

Sasuke closed his eyes and let it all sink in. His years of hiding away and plotting were finally over and he loved every minute of it. The icy touch of the wind served as a reminder that he was alive and the body he left discarded on the floor of the Cloud Village should serve a similar reminder for his enemies.

"No" Sasuke muttered under his breath. "They're not smart enough to figure it out. Well, not to worry. The whole world will know soon enough. I'll make sure of that." He clenched his fist tightly as he spoke the last line. Then he began to laugh, quietly at first. Then, it amplified loud enough to create an echo. For a moment, he didn't care about not being seen. In fact, he wanted someone to find him, so he could kill again. The feeling of it was intoxicating, almost addicting.

"_No", _he thought, "_I must be patient. Being found out now would be disastrous to my plans and I cannot allow that to happen. Patience is the key._"

Finally, the great hawk began to descend. It landed by a mountainside on the edge of a forest, a place that is difficult to find even when you are looking for it. Sasuke silently slid off his summon and onto the gravel below. He waited until the bird flew off again before approaching the wall of rock in front of him. After making the Sign of the Tiger he rasped "Release" and the wall in front of him suddenly split open, revealing a narrow passageway. Sasuke walked into it and the space quickly closed up again. As he travelled further into the mountain, he thought about his past once more, specifically the time he spent training with Orochimaru.

"_That used to seem like the answer" _he thought, _"Like it would solve everything. The only useful thing he ever taught me was how to hide away like this. I suppose it's not his fault though. When compared to the Uchiha, even the greatest genius seems distinctly average._"

Eventually, he came to a clearing at the end of the passage. It was a large, circular room carved from the rock. Inside, it was full of nameless Shinobi wearing the Sound Village headband, hurrying around anxiously. Sasuke had high standards, and the punishment for not meeting those standards was notoriously harsh. As Sasuke surveyed the sight in front on him, commotion broke out to his right.

"Fuck!" Suigetsu shouted, "Why did this have to happen when Sasuke isn't here? Jugo, calm down!"

Jugo screamed as he smashed away waves of Shinobi who were trying to contain him. Suddenly, there was a blur of black as a figure collided into Jugo and sent him crashing into a wall. Worked stopped as everybody stared to see what had caused the noise. Sasuke stood there, staring at his comrade that he had just knocked unconscious.

"Lock him up" he ordered, "I'm not in the mood for dealing with this tonight."

With that, he turned around and headed for his private chambers. However, before he could reach the door Suigetsu stopped him.

"So, you went through with it then" he asked, sounding unsure of himself.

"Of course" Sasuke snapped back at him. "When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. You should know that by now."

Suigetsu sighed, letting his frustration show.

"Sasuke, you know how big of a risk that was. It doesn't further our goals at all, why did you have to do it?"

Sasuke turned his head to look at his subordinate. He had activated his Sharingan and was staring right into Suigetsu's eyes.

"I did it," he said, his voice filled with malice, "because he disrespected both me and my clan. He had been living with a target on his back for too long and I couldn't allow it." He smirked before he spoke his next line. "Also, I needed to test the limits of my power, just to be sure." Sasuke then walked off, leaving Suigetsu stunned.

"Oh, and Suigetsu" Sasuke said, stopping in his tracks but not turning to face who he was speaking to. "Make sure everything is ready to go in three days time. I'm tired of waiting for this. I will finally have my revenge."

Night turned into day and the sun shone over the Hidden Leaf Village, bringing light to everything it touched. There were some shopkeepers opening up and several ninja were returning from missions they had been on in foreign lands. The rest of the village was sleeping soundly, apart from a single man who was walking down the main street of the village towards the Hokage's office. He was scratching his head and yawned, while cursing the time under his breath. He finally reached the Hokage's office, his office, and sat down. He looked at the pile of paperwork that had been left there from the night before and immediately wrote it off due to the time; even though the paperwork was the reason he had come in early in the first place.

"_I really should_ _assign someone to do all this for me_" he thought, smiling at the genius idea he had come up with. He figured he would give it to someone like Shikamaru Nara, who had a knack for that kind of thing. Satisfied that the work was taken care of, he put his feet up on the table and relaxed. After a while he drifted off to sleep, which was a mistake. Not too long after, the door was slammed shut and he jumped up. He looked at the person who woke him up and discovered that it was his wife and she looked slightly annoyed.

"Naruto" she said, clearly exerting a lot of effort to stop herself from yelling, "You told me you left early this morning to do work. Was that just a lie to get away from me?"

"No, Hinata it's not I swear" he stammered, "I really did have work and I just fell asleep by accident."

Even though he did have work to do, what he said was a small lie. Hinata was 7 months pregnant and the hormones were affecting her personality. She had become more demanding and her mood changed every five minutes. He still cared for her, but a break every once in a while did him good.

"Well" Hinata began, "I suppose I can believe you this time. We just came to give you a little company." She smiled and patted her stomach as she spoke. Naruto walked over to her and gave her a peck on the cheek, before kissing her stomach as well, where his unborn child lay sleeping.

"Thanks" he said, "I could do with some company actually." Naruto's beaming smile turned into a slight frown for just a second, which is something Hinata picked up on straight away.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sounding very concerned.

"It's 7 years today" was Naruto's gloomy reply. "7 years since the world found peace, which is a happy occasion and something to celebrate. It's just that, I don't feel like it. It's also 7 years since Sasuke died."

Hinata sighed and shook her head. She had long since given up trying to convince Naruto that Sasuke was dangerous and he shouldn't be mourned over. Naruto, though, wouldn't listen to it. He was convinced that, had Sasuke survived long enough to fight Naruto again, he would have been saved.

"I know it's difficult" she said sympathetically, "but you are the Hokage now. You have to put a brave face on and get through this for the sake of your people."

She stared at Naruto for a few seconds after she said this and she realized how much he had changed. Physically, he was still similar to how he always was. His bright blue eyes and trademark whiskered cheeks remained the same. His blonde hair was now slightly longer and resembled his fathers, the legendary Fourth Hokage. The biggest change was the loss of his orange jumpsuit, which he had worn since he had become a Genin. Now he wore a white jacket that reached down to his ankles, with red fire emblazed at various points. Down the back there was writing that read "Sixth Hokage", which was written in orange at Naruto's request. However, his biggest change was in his personality. Sure, he still had his tendencies to get over excited but he had matured. He was no longer a naïve boy that had dreams of being Hokage and saving the world. He was now the leader who had achieved those goals and he was living up to the responsibility.

"Hinata, you're staring at me in a really weird way" Naruto said, looking suspiciously at his wife. "You don't have to do that anymore you know, we are married after all, so you can stop admiring my perfection from afar."

The joke brought a smile to Hinata's face. It was good to know that he wasn't too depressed.

"I was just thinking about all this lovely work you have to do" Hinata said sarcastically. "If you ask nicely, I might even help you do it."

Naruto smiled and pulled Hinata closer to him. Before, he had never known that she had a playful side due to her intense shyness. Now, he saw it as her best feature. However, he didn't have much time to appreciate it as the door flew open as they stood there. Standing in the door way was a tall, pink haired woman. She had piercing green eyes and was dressed in white robes, which were the uniform of the Leaf Village's medical corps.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked, a little shocked. "What are you doing here so early?"

Instinctively, Naruto and Hinata pulled away from each other. It wasn't because they were embarrassed, but because they didn't like to act too romantic around Sakura. She had lost the love of her life and had never got over it, so any obvious displays of affection around her seemed inappropriate.

"I have a letter for you" Sakura said urgently, looking at Naruto. "It's from the Hidden Cloud Village and it looks urgent, I think you should read it right away."

Naruto grabbed the letter and tore it open. After reading for a couple of minutes his face dropped and small tears seemed to form in his eyes.

"The Raikage is dead," he said, appearing surprised at his own words. "Murdered, actually, by an unknown culprit. The Land of Lightning has requested that the Kage gather immediately."

The room fell silent as they all pondered over the news.

"Someone murdered the Raikage in his own village, without being noticed" Sakura began. "That's just crazy, who could do such a thing?"

"Who knows" Naruto replied, "But one thing is for sure. If they could kill the Raikage this easily, this enemy must be on a whole other level."


	3. Special Anniversary

Chapter 3: Special Anniversary

Naruto stared at the group assembled before him, explaining in detail the situation. He paused after he had finished, to judge the reaction of the Jonin he had gathered. Understandably, he saw confusion and concern etched on their faces. It was how he felt on the inside, but he knew that he couldn't show it.

"So, do they have any idea who could have done this?" asked a grey haired man from the back, who had covered his left eye with his headband and was wearing a facemask.

"They have some information that they weren't willing to reveal in a letter. When I go to the Cloud Village, I'll learn more. By the way Kakashi, I'll need to speak to you at the end of the meeting."

Kakashi nodded at this and Naruto went back to addressing the rest of the Jonin.

"I'll be leaving later to day and will be going with Sai from the ANBU. The rest of you have the responsibility of protecting the village while I'm away. Are there any other questions?"

"Shouldn't there be more people going with you? If this person has killed the Raikage, he could be after you next. Moving between lands leaves you vulnerable and very much open to attack. You should at least take a couple more Jonin with you, just to be sure."

The speaker was Neji Hyuga, who had recently become head of the Hyuga Clan. He stared back at Naruto intently, his eyes as keen as ever.

"I won't be travelling on the ground. The reason I'm going with Sai is so we can use his birds to fly to the Land of Lightning. It'll be much quicker and we won't have to worry about any surprise attacks. So, I'll be leaving at 3pm if anybody wants to come and see me off. That's if you'll be able to see me through the crowd of adoring fans that will be there."

Naruto's joke brought a much-needed laugh to proceedings as everyone filed out of the room. Naruto's time as Hokage had been famous for a more relaxed approach, especially when compared with Tsunade's aggressive nature. After the rest of the Jonin had left, Naruto was left in the room with his former teacher Kakashi and his former teammate Sakura.

"7 years" Naruto said morbidly, "It's been 7 years since Team 7 lost one of its members. I'm sorry that I can't mark the anniversary properly this year guys, but I thought we could just take a minute before I went."

Kakashi and Sakura exchanged glances. Neither of them wanted to do this each year for different reasons. Kakashi felt that Sasuke didn't deserve such remembrance, given what he had turned into before he died. Sakura just couldn't face the past being brought up like this each year. It forced her to think about what she had lost all those years, something that she tried to avoid thinking about most of the time. However, they kept up this ritual for Naruto's sake. It really meant something to him and Sakura and Kakashi couldn't bear to take it away from him.

After a few moments of silence, Naruto opened his eyes. He was clearly fighting back tears at first, before eventually letting them fall onto his cheeks. Sakura put her arm around him, offering him support. It caused Naruto to smile; happy that the other relationships he forged in the old days hadn't gone quite so bad. 

"Alright, that's enough of that" Kakashi said, acting like the voice of reason once again. "Naruto, you have important things to do today and we really don't have the time."

"I know, Kakashi Sensei" Naruto said, with a smile returning to his face. "You're the sensible one as always. Sometimes, I think that I should have just let you be Hokage like the Feudal Lord wanted. Alright, I need to go organize things with Sai, so I'll see you later."

Naruto walked past his friends and towards the exit. He knew that his faux smiles didn't fool them, but he hoped that it would at least trick the rest of the village. He walked out into the street and headed towards the ANBU headquarters. He walked past a team of Genin that were standing next to Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. They all waved at their hero as he walked by, and he waved back in return, trying to keep up the pretenses of normality. After Naruto left, the Genin's Sensei appeared behind them, looking slightly annoyed.

"Why are you all still here when I told you to meet me at the training field? You guys seriously need to step it up if you're going to pass the Chunnin Exams."

Two of the Genin gave sincere apologies, but the third merely stood there, staring back at the Hokage. He then turned to his teacher.

"Shikamaru Sensei, why does the Hokage look so sad?" he asked, seeming more curious than anything. Shikamaru stared back at his student and smiled. Hiruzen Sarutobi, his former teachers child and named after the Third Hokage, was certainly a prodigy. He graduated from the academy at the age of 7 and his brilliance still astounded Shikamaru everyday.

"Why would you say he looked sad? The way he waved at you makes him seem happy to me," Shikamaru replied, trying to not give a real answer.

"It was after he waved at us" Hiruzen replied, "He seemed sad as he walked away. I don't understand, today should be a happy day."

Shikamaru sighed and decided that he should tell the truth. They were bound to hear about it one day and it was better coming from someone who wouldn't distort the truth. Although, he felt that only one of them could handle the news properly.

"You should all just head to the training field, except for you Hiruzen. I need to talk to you first about asking unnecessary questions" Shikamaru said, pretending to be angry with his student. The two other Genin did as they were told, leaving Shikamaru and Hiruzen alone.

"Alright" Shikamaru said reluctantly. "I'll tell you about it. As you know, today is the anniversary of the end of the last World War. However, it's also important for a different reason. Today is also the day that the last member of the Uchiha Clan died."

"The Uchiha Clan?" Hiruzen asked, "I thought they died a long time before that."

"Most of them did" Shikamaru replied, "but one survived. Sasuke Uchiha was Naruto's teammate and friend. He left the village a few years before that day and became a rogue ninja. Sasuke eventually became more dangerous but the Hokage still wanted to bring him back to the Village. He truly believed that things could go back to the way they were. Until that day 7 years ago….

"_Aaah" Naruto cried, as a great mass o purple chakra knocked him back. He was battered and bruised and could barely stand. _

"_Kurama!" he whispered, "Can we use that mode yet? I'm getting my ass kicked here!" _

_There was a puff of annoyance from within Naruto, as the tailed beast voiced his disapproval. _

"_I already told you Naruto, I'll say when we are ready again. You're going to just have to hang in there. If we hadn't spent up so much chakra against that other Madara we wouldn't have this problem."_

_Suddenly, a great mass of wood headed towards Naruto, who just about managed to dodge. Madara was really flexing his muscles now. _

"_I've told you before Kyuubi, I am your master and you will obey me" the long black haired man sneered as he looked down at his victim. The black fire of Amaterasu rained down on Naruto, who was able to dodge with ease this time. He sent a Shiruken shaped mass of chakra towards Madara, who had already raised his shield to defend himself. _

"_So you've mastered Sage chakra as well?" Madara said condescendingly. "That's very impressive but not enough to defeat me unfortunately." Just as he finished speaking, a group of Naruto clones jumped up out of nowhere. They were each holding a giant Rasengan in their palms and sent them crashing into Madara's Susano'o. The force of the attack pushed him back and behind the hill he had been standing on. Naruto knelt down to catch his breath, although he kept an eye on the horizon, waiting for his enemy to appear again. _

"_How long Kurama?" Naruto asked again in desperation. _

"_NOT LONG!" Kurama yelled back, infuriated that he was being asked the same question once again. "Anyway, you need to be prepared. I can sense Marara's sinister presence returning to the battlefield."_

_Naruto could sense the sinister chakra returning and he was on guard. He then stared intently as a figure appeared. He first noticed the shorter black hair and skinnier stature. Naruto then recognized the loose fitting shirt and the belt around his waist. _

"_Sasuke?" Naruto asked himself, not wanting to believe it. He couldn't believe how much further his friend had fallen. His chakra is as evil as Madara's? It was tough to take, but there were more important things to worry about. _

"_Sasuke!" he cried, "Get out of there, you don't realize how much danger you are in!"_

_Sasuke smiled and his eyes were full of malice. He stared down at Naruto as he unsheathed his sword. _

"_No Naruto, you are the one who is in danger" he yelled back, his voice full of hate. The sword he was holding was clearly stained with blood. "You don't know what I've went through to get here, but that doesn't matter anymore. What's important is that it is now finally time for me to extract my revenge and, as promised, I'm starting with you."_

_Sasuke held his sword up and prepared to strike. Before he could move, a yellow flame stuck out through his stomach. Sasuke gasped, and blood spat out from his mouth. He stared down at the giant sword that had pierced him, trying to comprehend what had happened. _

"_Brother?" he asked, to no one in particular. "No, it can't be but who?" _

_Before he could get an answer, his body was pulled away. As he vanished, Madara appeared behind him, with his Susano'o fully constructed. The bright sword was being held by Madara's creation, making it obvious where the attack came from. _

"_That's a shame" Madara mocked, "Eyes like his don't come along very often. However, his hate blinded those blessed eyes and he paid the price for it. Plus, I don't need another Uchiha getting in my way."_

_Naruto stared at the ground as a combination of sadness and anger caused his whole body to shake. Tears streamed down his cheeks, as he comprehended what he had just seen. _

"_Sasuke" he said under his breath, trying to make sense of it. "No it can't be, I was going to save you. Things were supposed to go back to the way they were before."_

_Naruto's trembling increased until he finally released his emotions._

"_Sasuke!" he screamed, as a bright light surrounded him as Kurama's chakra ran through him once again."_

Shikamaru sighed as he finished the story.

"The rest you know. The Hokage defeated Madara with the help of Kurama and peace was brought to the world."

"I see" Hiruzen said quietly, as Shikamaru finished his story. "How come I've never been told this part of the story before?"

"It's not something we talk about much" Shikamaru said. ""Also, it's best that you don't repeat this to anyone else. It's probably better that the other youngsters don't learn about this yet."

Hiruzen accepted his master's orders and was then told to go to the training field to meet up with his teammates. Shikamaru reflected on the events of 7 years ago.

_Sasuke, _he thought, _even in death you're causing him pain. Maybe it would have been better if you'd survived to fight him after all. _


	4. Uneasy Alliance?

Chapter 4: Uneasy Alliance?

Naruto looked down at the world beneath him and then decided to look straight back up again. He wasn't completely comfortable flying at that height and was beginning to regret the decision to fly on a bird that was made of ink.

"Sai, how much further is it?" Naruto asked nervously, glancing over at his companion who didn't seem fazed at all.

"I'd say about 10 minutes if the wind stays as it is" Said replied in his monotone voice. "Surely the great 6th Hokage, the man who defeated the invincible Madara, isn't scared of the height?"

Naruto pulled a face and turned away. Sai's jokes were annoying at the best of times and he didn't much feel like listening to them in this situation. Instead, he relaxed and thought about the situation at hand. Was the attacker trying to kill all the Kage's, or did he just have a grudge against Ay? How did he get through the Hidden Cloud's defenses undetected and defeat the Raikage with such ease? He hoped that these questions would be answered sooner rather than later.

Finally, there was a break in the clouds and Naruto noticed buildings that appeared to be floating in the sky. They had finally made it and not a second too soon.

"The building on the far left is much wider than the rest and appears to have several people already waiting outside. I'd say that's the designated meeting point," Sai said, pointing towards a large domed shaped building. As they landed, several Lords from the Land of Lightning greeted Naruto and Sai and Naruto was quickly ushered in to the room.

"Sai" Naruto said as he turned back towards his friend, "Send a message back to Kakashi telling him we've arrived safely. Hinata would kill me if I didn't update her." They both laughed as Naruto entered the room, which had a much more gloomy atmosphere. Naruto looked around at the four other Kage who were already seated and ready to begin talks. Slightly embarrassed, Naruto took his seat and looked over to where the Raikage would usually sit and stared at the white haired man who was sat in his place. He had dark brown skin and a muscular physique and his presence didn't surprise Naruto. He always thought that this man would replace the Raikage, although he expected it wouldn't be in such depressing circumstances.

"So Darui" Naruto said, breaking the silence, "You've been made Raikage. That was a quick change around even in the circumstances. So the situation is as serious as I thought."

"I'm not officially Raikage yet, as the Jonin haven't voted" Darui replied, "I've just been appointed by the Feudal Lord to oversee things for the time being. It seems a pretty dull job overall and I'm not sure if I want it full time, but I'll do what I have to."

Naruto smiled as he thought of the similarities between Darui and his Sensei Kakashi, who desperately didn't want to be Hokage despite being an outstanding candidate for the job.

"Now we've got the greetings out of the way, let's get down to business" Gaara said, the Kazekage clearly restless about the situation. "Lord Raikage, what do you know about the attacker?"

Darui sighed before he started talking.

"We know next to nothing" he said, "No one saw the person who did this. However, we do have one piece of crucial information about them. The Hokage in particular should be able to shed more light on just how important this information is."

Naruto felt all eyes turn towards him, but he kept looking forwards, fixed on Darui. How could he possibly help more than the intelligent people in the room?

"Judging by the wound on the body and the evidence provided by people who were near the area at the time" Darui began, building up to something, "We've deduced that the attack used was the lightening based Chidori."

"Hold on a second" came the voice of the stunningly beautiful woman sitting to the Raikage's left, "Isn't Chidori the signature technique of Kakashi Hatake of the Leaf Village?"

She turned towards Naruto as, once again, all eyes moved towards him.

"Yes Lady Mizukage, that is Kakashi Sensei's technique" Naruto replied, sensing the shock around the room. "I'm not sure what else I can tell you apart from that."

"Well, who else knew the technique?" was the moan from the small old man slumped in the corner. The Tsuchikage was an irritable man at the best of times and listening to Naruto's confusion only added to his displeasure.

"Well" Naruto started, "The only other person that Kakashi taught the technique to was Sasuke Uchiha."

A long silence followed as each Kage thought about how to approach the subject. Finally, Gaara spoke up.

"Given that Kakashi didn't teach the technique to anybody else" he began, "The culprit here must be linked to Sasuke somehow. Naruto, your village has a lot of Intel on Sasuke, is there anybody that he could have possibly taught the technique to?"

Naruto shook his head slowly. "Not that I can think of. I can send a message back to the village to look through our records to see if anyone sticks out. However, I've read everything about Sasuke and I really don't think we'll find anything."

There was another period of silence as frustration began to set in. This time, the Raikage spoke up.

"There's one more thing I have to tell you about the attack" he said, his tone one of fear. "After doing the post mortem on the body, the doctors concluded that Lord Ay was on his knees when the killing blow came. This wasn't a surprise attack or a hard fought battle. Whoever did this, won with absolute ease."

Darui forced himself to stop as his anger threatened to boil over. In times gone by, the Raikage would have smashed the table in front of him whenever he was worked up. Darui's calmer reactions could not have been a greater contrast and it really reinforced the point that Ay was gone and not coming back.

"We'll find who did this" Naruto declared, standing up from his seat. "Even if it takes years, we will find this person together, I promise you that." Naruto's bold statement brought comfort to the proceedings as talk turned towards other matters. The unity between the nations had never been more obvious as it was that day.

In another land, far away from the Hidden Cloud Village, rain fell from the sky. A storm was brewing in the atmosphere and was about to intensify. Standing outside of his mountain hideout and experiencing the conditions was Sasuke Uchiha. He was dressed in a black cloak with the Uchiha Crest printed on the back. He was stood on a ledge with his former teammates Suigetsu and Jugo, watching as his subordinates from the Sound Village finished the preparations below them.

"Everything is ready to go Sasuke" Suigetsu said, hoping that Sasuke would be pleased. Fortunately, the news brought a smile to his face.

"Finally" he rasped, as he focused on the scene in front of him. "It's taken longer than expected, but that doesn't matter anymore. We're finally ready to exact my revenge."

The use of the word "my" wasn't lost on Suigetsu and Jugo, but they didn't mention it. They were under no illusions that Sasuke consider them anything other than tools used to reach his goals. However, they knew that fighting for Sasuke was much better than fighting against him.

Sasuke stared up into the sky and watched as the rain began to fall heavier and the storm reached its peak. Finally Sasuke raised his hand, which was a well-known sign among his workers that he was going to address them. Sasuke hated being ignored, so everyone stopped and listened as soon as they noticed him.

"You have all done well" Sasuke started, without any sarcasm or sincerity in his voice. "It's finally time to execute my plan. However, I don't need any unnecessary baggage. Now that you've completed your tasks I have no more use for you. Goodbye."

Just as Sasuke finished speaking, a great beast made of lightning appeared in the sky. Sasuke then brought his arm down and the beast moved along with it. The resulting carnage was too much even for Suigetsu to watch. Sasuke, however, laughed as he watched the attack crash into the earth and as he heard the howls of pain from his unsuspecting victims. Even after the attack, the storm did not subside. Sasuke surveyed the damage below and he smiled as he realized the bodies were not damaged.

"Looks like I held back enough" Sasuke said, allowing himself to laugh once more. He then turned towards the darkness of the forest behind him.

"You can come out now" he called out and watched as a figure emerged from the trees. Suigetsu and Jugo gasped as they realized just who it was Sasuke was talking to.

"Wait a minute!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "You're, you're-"

"Kabuto Yakushi" Jugo said, as the hooded figure slithered out from his hiding place and stood next to Sasuke.


	5. The Uchihas Revenge

Chapter 5: The Uchihas Revenge

Sasuke could barely contain his excitement as he flew through the air. He was finally avenging his clan's name and exacting his revenge on the village that had ruined his entire life. He laughed hysterically as he imagined killing the people he once called teammates. He was especially looking forward to seeing his old Sensei again, so that he could rip that stolen Sharingan right out of his eye.

"Sasuke" Suigetsu whispered, interrupting Sasuke's pleasant daydreams.

"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded.

"How do you know we can trust Kabuto?" he asked, sounding very concerned. "He was loyal to Orochimaru and there's no way he's forgiven you for killing his master."

"Don't worry about him," Sasuke said nonchalantly. "Kabuto is compelled to follow my orders. It is impossible for him to betray me."

"How did you do that?" Suigetsu asked once more, knowing he was pushing his luck.

"Not that it's any of your business" Sasuke replied, "but he's under the control of a powerful genjutsu called Kotoamatsukami. As far as Kabuto is aware, he's helping me of his own free will. In fact, he's my most loyal servant."

The look Sasuke gave Suigetsu let him know that he shouldn't ask any more questions. After another few hours of flying, Sasuke finally signaled for the four hawks to descend. They were still a few miles from the Village, with a forest separating them from their target.

"Why did we drop to the ground so quickly? Surely it will be harder to reach the Hidden Leaf Village undetected while travelling on foot?" Jugo asked.

Sasuke sighed as he listened to the question. He was clearly getting angry and Jugo appeared to regret asking him.

"We're travelling on foot as the hawks will stand out in the sky, given that they are not native to this land. Also, I know this forest well so we should be able to get through without being seen. Of course, should we not be so fortunate, I'm very capable of dealing with it."

Sasuke activated his Sharingan as they began to move. The forest was surprisingly clear and they had no problem moving through it. Sasuke thought back to the last time he had seen this place, when he was leaving to join Orochimaru. He had tried so hard to get away that he thought he'd never want to return. The Village had also tried bringing him back, but they failed.

"Well, here I am, finally coming back" Sasuke whispered to himself, "I know it's a been a long time but better late than never, right?"

Sasuke put his arm out to stop his team as they neared the entrance to the Village. Now that they were in sight of the gate, Sasuke could get a good look at the security they had set up. He was not at all impressed by what he saw.

"Three guards at the gate, with no one else deployed in the surrounding areas. Looks like the village has gotten careless in these times of peace. That's a shame; I was hoping to have more of a challenge getting through the gate. Oh well, I can have my fun later. Kabuto, are you ready?"

"Of course Sasuke" Kabuto replied, bowing slightly as he did. After making several hand signs, he placed his hand on the floor.

"Summoning: Impure World Resurrection"

Dozens of coffins sprouted out of the ground and stood upright in front of the group. The lids from the first two coffins slid off to reveal the bodies inside. They contained a man and a woman, both with long black hair. The man wore a green flack jacket, while the woman wore brown robes reminiscent of a housewife. At the instruction of Kabuto, they stepped out of the coffins and opened their eyes, revealing their Sharingan.

"Where am I?" said the man, utterly confused. The woman, who was his wife, mirrored his confusion.

"Father and Mother; you are back where you belong" Sasuke said, hugging them as soon as they were out of their caskets. Suigetsu and Jugo were stunned as they watched Sasuke display his emptions to his parents. Suigetsu even expected that he saw a tear but he didn't dare bring it up. After a couple of moments, they parted and Sasuke's father, Fugaku, appeared concerned.

"Impure World Resurrection" he said, realizing what had happened. "So, Itachi really went through with it. Speaking of which, what happened to your brother?"

Sasuke's face returned to its usual frown at the mention of his brother's name.

"Itachi is dead and I have no way of reviving him. However, you have to know that what he did was not his fault. The Village elders, who used his fear of war against him, manipulated him. He didn't want to kill any of you, but he was left without a choice. This is why we are here, to claim revenge for what they did to my brother and our clan."

Sasuke's mother let out a tear as she listened to Sasuke, while Fugaku shook his head. Kabuto then released the other Uchiha from their coffins, leaving Sasuke with an army of elite Sharingan users standing before him. Sasuke grinned as he saw his clan restored in front of him. The first of his ambitions had come to fruition and the second was not far away either.

"Right then, we should get going" Sasuke said, turning to face the village. However, just before setting off, Sasuke turned to face Kabuto. "Oh, I almost forgot."

Kabuto was set ablaze with jet-black fire that had been summoned out of nowhere. He screamed in pain as it consumed him, until there was nothing left.

"Sasuke, why?" Suigetsu asked, suddenly fearing for his own life.

"The weakness in his jutsu is that the user might be forced to cancel it. So, by killing him I have removed that weakness."

"Spoken like a true Uchiha!" Fugaku declared, beaming with pride at his son. Sasuke moved first, killing off the three guards in the blink of an eye. He then appeared at the entrance to the Village as his army arrived.

"This is it!" he shouted, adrenaline pumping through him. He no longer cared about not being seen, as their attack was about to begin. "Now is the time to gain our revenge. Kill everyone in your path; I want to see this village burn to the ground. Leave the elders and Hokage to me but show no mercy to anybody else. They are all to blame and they must all pay!"

There was a cheer from his clansmen as they charged into the unsuspecting village. Innocent villagers were needlessly slaughtered and unsuspecting Shinobi were ambushed easily as the Village began to go up in flames. Sasuke watched as the destruction began, before turning his attention to other things.

_I'll take the elder out first before finding Naruto _he decided, licking his lips in anticipation.

Kakashi stood at the front of the hall, updating the Jonin on the situation from the Kage meeting. He felt a little uncomfortable taking in front of everyone and wondered how Naruto did it every time.

"Hopefully, the meeting will end today and the Hokage should be home by the end of tomorrow. As far as I can tell, there will be a few changes to security in the village, but I'll let Naruto explain that."

There was a small chuckle amongst the group as Kakashi slipped up and said Naruto's name. Kakashi often found it difficult to refer to his former student by his official title and incidents like this were not a rare occurrence.

Just as the laughter died down, the door slammed open and Iruka, a teacher at the academy and a Chunnin of the village, ran inside.

"There's an attack!" he cried, sounding terrified. "I can't tell how many there are exactly, but there are at least 50 of them. You all need to get out there now!"

There was a stunned silence for a second, before everyone started to move. Kakashi hurried towards three Jonin in particular before they had a chance to leave. Kakashi turned to the most senior of the three, who wore a black headband over his long brown hair.

"Genma" he said, trying to make it quick. "Is Naruto marked with the seal?"

Kakashi had to ask as he remembered an argument from Naruto about needing a seal during his orientation. He couldn't remember the outcome of Naruto's appeal.

"Yeah, in the end Sakura held him down while we marked him" Genma said, smiling despite the situation.

"Good, then get out to him right away. Tell him what's happening and transport him back here. We need him right now."

"Got it" Genma replied, "What are you going to do?"

Kakashi pulled up the forehead protector that covered his left eye, revealing his Sharingan.

"I'm going to let whoever is out there know that you shouldn't get the copy ninja riled up like this."

"Lady Koharu and Master Homura, we'll make sure that you are safe."

The two elders stared down at the three nervous Chunnin that had accompanied them to their hideout bowed in front of them. Koharu sighed after listening to the young man's words.

"There's no need" she said, "We'll be safe here. Besides, it's not like anyone is going to come after us two old folks."

Just as she finished talking, the three Chunnin keeled over with blood pouring from their bodies. Before they could figure out what was happening, another man appeared before the elders. He sat directly in front of them, staring deep into their eyes.

"No" Homura said, hoping that what he was seeing wasn't true. "You can't be alive."

"Well, I am" Sasuke hissed, as he unsheathed his sword "and I'm not the only Uchiha who's back in the village. It seems your plan to exterminate us has failed and you shall pay the ultimate price.


	6. Second in Command

Chapter 6: Second in Command

Suigetsu yawned as he watched the carnage unfold all around him. The unstoppable Uchiha army that Sasuke assembled was tearing apart the nameless Chunnin that had confronted them. Suigetsu saw no point in personally getting involved at this stage. Where's the fun in killing someone who can't defend themselves? Suigetsu thought he'd wait a while before making his presence known. However, this wasn't a problem for Jugo, who had really let himself go.

"Hahahaha!" Jugo screamed, as he decapitated a nearby Shinobi. "Did you see that Suigetsu? Did you see me kill that guy?"

"Yeah, it was great Jugo, well done" Suigetsu said sarcastically, as he sipped from his water bottle. In truth, Suigetsu was expected to lead this army while Sasuke was away, but he didn't really feel like it. Besides, they could take care of things themselves.

Then, a huge group of Leaf Village Shinobi arrived and went straight into battle. Judging by the way they attacked, they were used to battles like this.

"So, the Jonin finally arrive" Suigetsu remarked as he stretched his arms. "Looks like I have some playing around to do."

Suigetsu opened up the scroll he carried in his pocket and examined it.

"Which sword is best for today?" he wondered. "It's gotten so much more difficult to decide now that I've collected five of the seven. Samehada would have been best, if it wasn't still with that idiot from the Cloud Village. I suppose I'll go with the Executioners Blade then."

After touching the seal, Suigetsu appeared holding a giant sword. He gripped it tightly in anticipation of the battle to come.

"Jugo!" he yelled, calling his teammate. "You might want to get over here. There's plenty of worthy victims for you and I wouldn't want you to miss out because I've killed them all."

Suigetsu's shouting attracted the attention of the Leaf's Shinobi. He was soon confronted by several of them, which caused him to laugh.

"Let's see, who have we got here," Suigetsu said, already knowing the answer. "Judging by the stupid haircut and bushy eyebrows, I'd say you're Rock Lee. You are Shikamaru Nara, the Leaf's brilliant tactician. Finally, we have Kiba something or other. You do something with that dog or whatever."

Kiba was angered by the way Suigetsu spoke about him and he charged in headfirst. However, Suigetsu, whose speed and strength was much greater, quickly knocked him back.

"Despite that rather pathetic showing, I know you are all capable of challenging me" Suigetsu said, not sounding all that sincere. "So, how about we tip the scales in my favor?"

Suigetsu strapped the sword onto his back and raised his left arm into the air. His right arm came across his body while two fingers on his right hand pointed towards the sky. He then lifted his left leg at a 90-degree angle to his body.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu" Suigetsu whispered, as the area was suddenly consumed by an impenetrable fog.

"What is this?" Lee asked, as the three Shinobi moved close together.

"The Hidden Mist Jutsu of the Mist Village" Shikamaru explained, as he drew a kunai from his pouch. "He's completely blinded us while he lurks in the mist. It's a way for him to utilize his silent kill technique, as we won't be able to see him coming. We need to be on our guard, because he can appear out of nowhere."

After a few seconds, Suigetsu pounced from his hiding spot. His victims couldn't move fast enough and he pulled his sword back ready to kill. However, before he could land the final blow, a powerful force hit him.

"Rotation" came the cry, as a powerful dome of chakra repelled the attack. Suigetsu landed hard on his back and struggled onto his feet. Suigetsu was unable to keep up his jutsu and he studied his attacker in the clear light of day.

"So, you were able to see through my mist and repel me with an attack like that, eh? You're also wearing an ANBU uniform. If I had to guess, I'd say that you're Neji Hyuga, correct?"

Neji stared back at Suigetsu, the veins around his eyes almost exploding. His Byakugan allowed him to see through the jutsu and save his comrades. However, he wasn't confident he could defeat this foe in battle, even with backup. Neji saw that Suigetsu had an enormous amount of chakra, which is why he could perform that jutsu without a water source. He decided that the best course of action would be to stall for time, until more help can arrive.

"Why are you here?" Neji asked, hoping that he received an answer.

"That's not really your concern, is it?" Suigetsu countered, enjoying playing with his opponents. "All I'm really going to tell you is that I am here because I'm under orders to come here. Now, enough talk, let's fight."

Suigetsu drew his sword and charged at them. Shikamaru was the first to react, drawing his trench knives to block the giant blade. Shikamaru tried to push back, but the blade was still bearing down on him.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee yelled as he attacked. Suigetsu was forced to dodge and left himself vulnerable to a counter attack. Neji fired two vacuums of air his way, which hit Suigetsu in the chest. Yet, the damage was reduced due to his Hydrification Technique, which turned him into a mass of water. Both sides took the chance to pause and catch their breath. Suigetsu was surprised at how strong his opponents were and the trouble he was having with them.

Before either side could attack again, three figures joined the fray. At first, Suigetsu was glad to see Jugo join his side, despite the fact that Jugo was as likely to attack him, as he was the Leaf Village. However, once he looked over at the Shinobi who had joined the other side, his mood took a turn for the worst.

"Kakashi Hatake and Might Gai" he said, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

"Suigetsu" Kakashi responded, sounding incredibly angry. "So, you got your hands on Zabuza's sword again? It makes me sick thinking that the weapon of a great warrior ended up in your hands."

"This sword was always going to be mine anyway, Kakashi. Although, it doesn't make a difference how you feel. I'm going to cut you down with it in a few seconds anyway."

Suigetsu was a master at sounding more confident than he is. Secretly, he was hoping that someone would come to save him from this situation. He gripped the sword so tight that he could practically feel his knuckles trying to break out of his skin. Surely somebody could save him?

"Now then" Kakashi began, "let's finish you so I can move on to someone more important." Kakashi palm lit up with lightning as he charged. Although, before he could get close enough there was a flash of black and Kakashi was kicked away. He landed on his feet and faced his new opponent.

"Well, it like a reunion here isn't it?" Sasuke said, laughing as he looked at his former colleagues stunned expressions. "Suigetsu and Jugo, go find something else to destroy, I'll handle things here."

Suigetsu and Jugo did as they were told and quickly scarpered. Suigetsu looked back at the battle that was about to take place and shook his head.

_They have no idea what they are getting into _he thought. _Sasuke is merciless; they are in for a painful death. _

"I had a feeling it was you" Kakashi said, staring straight at his former student. "I don't know how you survived and I don't care either. I know Naruto wanted to take care of you himself, but he's not here and I am. I know that I helped create you, so it's only fitting that I destroy you as well. The only guilt I'll feel is that I broke my promise to Naruto."

Sasuke laughed at this. He held onto his stomach and laughed hard enough to cry. After finishing this act, he stared back at his former mentor, his Sharingan activated.

"Let's get something straight Kakashi" he spat, his voice filled with hatred. "I see you as nothing more than a warm up for the main event. So, be prepared copy ninja, because I'm going to show you the true power of the Sharingan."


	7. Reunions

Chapter 7: Reunions 

Naruto yawned as he pretended to listen to the discussion. The issue of the Raikage's death and the subsequent security changes had already been decided, so only the more bureaucratic topics remained and Naruto couldn't care less. He began to feel restless while sitting there, and the other Kage's exchanged glances. It wasn't uncommon for the Hokage to get like this towards the end of the meeting.

"Hokage, do you agree?" Gaara asked, trying to spark some life into his friend.

"Yeah, definitely" Naruto said, while yawning. "You guys really made some sense there."

Naruto's false show of comprehension brought another laugh, as the tension in the room finally evaporated. The meeting was wrapping up and the Kage were looking forward to getting back to their villages.

"To summarize" Darui began, "the tighter security measures will be put in place immediately. All intelligence between the villages regarding this assassin will be collaborated and -. Wait, who are you?"

The other Kage's followed Darui's line of sight and ended up looking just behind Naruto. Standing there was three Hidden Leaf Village shinobi, all looking concerned.

"Hey, I told you not to use this stupid seal" Naruto said, looking annoyed. "Did Kakashi send you to check up on me? I can do this by myself you know."

Naruto looked at the faces in front of him and frowned. He could tell that something was wrong. "What is it?"

"Lord Hokage" Genma began; trying to rush things now that he had began talking. "There's been an attack on the village. A mystery force has invaded and we are fighting them off at the minute. We don't know who it is or what they have come for, as Kakashi sent us to come and get you immediately."

The room fell into a stunned silence. The question of everyone's lips was; with all of the great nations now allies, who could possibly have the power to invade the Hidden Leaf Village?

"I wonder if this is connected to the attack on the Raikage" Gaara mused, with the other Kage also pondering this point.

"Well, we won't find out waiting around here" Naruto said, standing up straight away. "Take me back so we can sort this out."

This time it was the Hokage's guards who exchanged looks.

"I'm sorry, we can't do that right now" Genma said, sounding guilty.

"Why not!" Naruto yelled, his anger and frustration rising dramatically.

"We're not the Fourth" was Genma's reply. "We can't do the technique that often, especially after all these years. It'll take about half an hour until we can get back to the Village."

Naruto groaned in annoyance and turned to face the other Kage. They were all stumped and couldn't think of a quicker way of travelling.

"30 minutes it is then" Naruto said reluctantly as he got back to his feet. "I'll be outside on the balcony. Come and get me the second we can leave."

Kakashi stared intently at his former student and felt only despair. Sasuke's actions had poisoned all of Kakashi's dear memories from when Team 7 was first formed. Now, whenever Kakashi thought back to those days when he trained Sasuke, he only saw a future killer. Once again, he had failed someone who depended on him.

_It's time to do this _Kakashi thought trying to get himself prepared for battle. Then, he charged at Sasuke, his palm illuminated by white lightning. Sasuke stared back, his expression unchanged. Once Kakashi got close enough, he thrust his hand towards Sasuke's body. Sasuke easily dodged and then forced the handle of his sword into Kakashi's body, which disappeared in a stream of lightning.

"I'm not prepared to play your games Kakashi" Sasuke remarked; who wasn't even looking at Kakashi when he attacked. "If you want to fight me, do it yourself rather than sending your clones."

"Fine by me" Kakashi yelled, as he jumped out of the ground. The action seemed to take Sasuke by surprise, as he desperately dodged Kakashi's ignited hand. Kakashi landed a few meters away from Sasuke and quickly began making hand signs. Sasuke followed suit, his hands moving so fast they appeared merely as a blur.

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" both yelled, as they summoned an orb of fire which they sent towards each other. Their jutsu's clashed and the two balls of fire suddenly became one towering inferno. Neither side gave in, as the fire pushed one way and then the other.

_I can't keep this up, _Kakashi thought. _He just keeps pressing steadily and he might even be holding back. I need to get out of this. _

Kakashi broke his jutsu and jumped to avoid the fire. The other shinobi standing behind him did likewise, with the consequence being that the buildings went up in flames. Kakashi stared back regretfully, but didn't allow himself to get caught up in his emotions. After all, there was a much greater threat to the village standing in front of him. Except, Sasuke wasn't standing in front of him. He was gone, or so it seemed.

"There!" Kakashi shouted, noticing movement out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke dived in front of him at breathtaking speed, his sword withdrawn. Kakashi drew his kunai to block and the two of them found themselves locked in another battle of wills.

_Incredible _Kakashi thought as he desperately tried to hang on. _It's not just his Sharingan powers that have drastically improved; his physical strength is far greater than before as well._

"Gai!" Kakashi yelled, desperate for help.

"Right" Gai responded and his body lit with a green glow that signified that he had opened the 6th gate. He charged straight as Sasuke, who was forced to dodge again. Sasuke put some distance between himself and his opponents, as he noticed more help arriving.

"Look at what we have here" he mocked, "It's a reunion. All of my old classmates are here to welcome me back, with one noticeable exception of course."

Sasuke's sarcastic remarks were met with looks of hate from everyone present. Joining those that were already involved with the battle was Choji, Ino, Shino, TenTen and Sakura. Sasuke grinned as he realized the utter contempt he felt for all of them. He noticed Sakura's devastated face in particular and it brought him something resembling joy.

"Sasuke" she gasped, holding her hands together in shock. "How, how are you-"

She couldn't hold back the tears any longer at that point. She felt a mix of relief and regret as she stared at the only man she had ever loved. She was relieved at seeing him alive, but felt guilty about it given what he had become. How was she supposed to feel about this?

"Pathetic" Sasuke sneered, as he watched Sakura break down. "You and Naruto both wasted your time chasing after me and trying to bring me back. I always loathed both of you and saw you as nothing but pests that were in my way. Now, though, I can finally kill you like I should have done years ago."

Just as Sasuke reached for his sword, the other Shinobi gathered moved in front of Sakura to protect her. Sasuke knew that, despite the power that he now had, he wasn't going to be able to get fight all of them off without a challenge. He decided to not take any chances against them.

"You should take this as a compliment" Sasuke said, another grin appearing on his face. He hadn't smiled this much in years. "Not every victim of mine gets to see this, not even the Raikage"

Sasuke blinked and the pattern in his eyes changed. Sasuke had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan but he wasn't finished there. He was then surrounded by a mass of purple chakra that then formed itself into a humanoid figure. It's appearance now resembled a man wearing armor, with a pair of white eyes staring menacingly through the open helmet.

"Is, is that?" Shikamaru exclaimed, staring wide eyed at Sasuke's creation.

"Susano'o" Kakashi replied, "It's the ultimate technique of the Mangekyo Sharingan. It's the peak of the Uchiha's power."

"Every time you open your mouth, you prove how ignorant you are" Sasuke spat, as he glared back at his former teacher. "This is only the tip of the iceberg."

Kakashi stared back, unsure how to react. Is he just bluffing, or does he have anything more powerful than Susano'o? It's possible, as he took down the Raikage without destroying the Hidden Cloud Village. Either way, they had to deal with this first rather than worrying about what else Sasuke could do.

Suddenly, Gai jumped up into the air and raised his hands above his head.

"Morning Peacock!" Gai screamed, as he quickly punched his hands towards Sasuke. The air caught on fire and hurtled towards Sasuke's chakra monster. Sasuke laughed off Gai's powerful attack, as the Susano'o was unaffected. Sasuke continued laughing hysterically as each attack was easily repelled. Eventually, the attacks stopped as everyone realized they were ineffective. Penetrating this defense seemed impossible.

"Now you've seen the defensive capabilities of Susano'o, it's time to show you the offence."

A bow and arrow formed in the midst of the Susano'o and Sasuke aimed at the group. Kakashi immediately realized what was about to happen, but because of the speed that Sasuke prepared his attack, he couldn't warn everyone. Sasuke's arrow hurtled towards an unsuspecting Lee, who could only watch as the deadly weapon bore down on him. However, before the killing blow could land, the arrow disappeared.

"It's ironic isn't it?" Sasuke scoffed as he observed what happened. "The Hidden Leaf tried desperately to destroy the owners of the Sharingan and now it's saved the life of most of you here. Well, lets see your stolen eye do it again."

Sasuke fired another arrow, towards Sakura this time. Kakashi could only stand and watch, as his technique couldn't be used again in such a short amount of time. His age and his extensive use of the Mangekyo Sharingan was finally starting to catch up with him. Sakura just stared, her eyes overcome with tears as she prepared for the inevitable. She closed her eyes and thought back to the old days, ready to die with the image of the Sasuke she loved firmly in her mind.

However, it was not to be. A flash of yellow whisked Sakura away at the last second and knocked the arrow away from the village. Sasuke didn't react to this change in circumstances and just continued staring in Sakura's direction, who was now in the arms of a blonde haired man, who had a shade of red around his yellow, toad like eyes.

"I can't help but think we've been here before" Sasuke said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Do you remember it, Naruto?"


	8. The Battle Begins

Chapter 8: The Battle Begins

There was a long pause as the two great rivals stared at each other. The tension between them was unbearable, as years of history that had long been suppressed came back to the surface. Naruto put Sakura back on her feet and clenched his fists tightly as he spoke.

"How are you alive?" Naruto said through gritted teeth, his anger swelling.

"Seeing as you're about to die, it can't hurt telling you" Sasuke responded. "Madara didn't actually kill me that day, he simply sealed me with the Sword of Totsuka."

"Sword of Totsuka?" Naruto said, as he remembered back to a time long ago. "Itachi had the sword of Totsuka, what was Madara doing with it?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Naruto" Sasuke taunted, loving the sense of superiority he was feeling. "The sword is a weapon that can be constructed by anyone who awakens the Susano'o. Madara believed that only he could use the weapon, when in fact Itachi had actually had access to it as well. Of course, given that I now possess Itachi's eyes, I can also use it. I simply escaped from the confinement of the sword."

"I see" Naruto replied, "Well I have to say that I'm a little relieved. I thought we'd never get to have our fight."

The rest of the Leaf Shinobi that had gathered were stunned. How could Naruto be so casual in this situation?

"Naruto, I know I promised you that I'd leave Sasuke to you" Kakashi began, "but-"

"No" Naruto declared, cutting off his teacher. "If you get in Sasuke's way now, he'll kill you. He was just playing with you before, waiting for me to show up. I'm the only one capable of fighting him."

There was another pause as everyone digested the information. After all these years and even after becoming Hokage, Naruto was still willing to shoulder this burden alone.

"Well, why don't we stop talking and actually get to it then?" Sasuke yelled, before bringing his hands together in the Sign of the Tiger. Suddenly, the great Susano'o that surrounded him began to shrink, until it just about fit on top of his body. It now appeared that Sasuke was wearing a suit of armor, but Naruto assumed that it would grant him more than just protection.

"No Uchiha has ever achieved this power before!" Sasuke screamed in delight, as he prepared to attack. "Now, let's see how Sage chakra compares to the ultimate power of the Uchiha."

Naruto and Sasuke both charged at each other and the battle began. The rest of the group watched in awe, as the two most powerful Shinobi in the world clashed.

"Where are they now?" Gai asked, as he desperately looked around. "I can't even follow their movements."

"I'm struggling to follow them even with my Sharingan" Kakashi replied, as he kept his eye focused. "Their speed is out of this world, I think even the Fourth Hokage would struggle to keep up with these two."

The power output from the clash was beginning to show. The buildings around them crumbled, as the force of their strikes reverberated through the air. Finally, Naruto became visible as he was forced into the ground.

"Where's Sasuke?" Shikamaru shouted, scanning the scene around him for the enemy.

"Up here!" Sasuke responded from on top of a nearby rooftop. He was holding a black flame in his right hand that he held up menacingly. He then arched his arm back, and threw the ball at Naruto. Naruto could just about dodge, but the building behind him went up in flames.

"Shit!" Naruto yelled, as he looked back in regret.

"Naruto, I've got it just concentrate on Sasuke!" Shikamaru bellowed as he opened up a scroll. He placed the scroll on the ground and made several hand seals. He then slammed his hand onto the scroll and said "Seal!"

The fire was pulled into the scroll and sealed.

_Naruto needs to hurry this up _Shikamaru thought as he looked at the disintegrating environment around him. _If he takes too much longer, then it won't matter if he can beat Sasuke because the village will be destroyed. _

Naruto raised his arm into the air and constructed a disc of bright light. The disc spun around his palm at incredible speed and had a Rasengan at its centre.

"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"

Naruto threw his attack at Sasuke, who didn't move. Instead, he brought his right arm across his body and constructed a shield, which bore the force of the attack. Sasuke smiled as the attack dispersed, but soon frowned as he noticed that Naruto was missing.

"_Where is he?"_ he thought, as he scanned the area around him. However, before he could check, Naruto sprung out of the ground and smashed is fist into Sasuke's chin. The force of the impact sent Sasuke into the air and Naruto soon followed. Yet, just as Naruto was able to reach him, Sasuke responded by punching Naruto and sending him back into the ground. While he was still in the air, Sasuke performed several hand seals and summoned a hawk.

"That was rather entertaining" Sasuke said from atop his faithful summon, as he ended his Susano'o armor. "However, we can't have our real fight here. This pathetic village doesn't deserve to be the place where I finally kill you. I'm going to go to the ideal location now, I'll see you there soon enough Naruto."

Sasuke's hawk then set off into the distance, as Naruto just glared. The marks around Naruto's eyes vanished as he returned to his normal state. He scratched the back of his head and closed his eyes as he tried to relieve himself of the stress he felt. After taking the moment to calm down, Naruto turned back to the Jonin that had gathered.

"Like I said, I'm handling Sasuke" Naruto said, as he addressed everyone present. "However, he isn't the only Uchiha attacking the village. I need the rest of you to go and seal the remaining Uchiha attacking the village. I'll leave Kakashi in charge while I go and handle Sasuke."

"You don't need to do this alone," Sakura pleaded, as she walked up to Naruto. " We can help you. I can help you. You don't even know where Sasuke went"

"No" Naruto declared, making it clear that his mind was made up. "I know where Sasuke is and I won't be alone."

The rest of the group seemed puzzled as Naruto made his statement. Who was he planning on taking with him and why did he chance his mind? Naruto slid his hand under his shirt and concentrated. After a few moments, he made some more seals and placed his hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he cried and a cloud of white smoke soon appeared. After the smoke cleared up, a gigantic, red fox materialized in front of everyone. The fox had a menacing glare and sharp white teeth. However, its most distinguishing feature were the nine tails that came from its body.

"Naruto" the great beast growled in a deep tone. "Why have you summoned me here? You know that I don't like to be disturbed."

"I'm sorry Kurama" Naruto replied, "but I need your help to fight an enemy. Without you, I don't think there's anyway I can win."

"So, there is someone that can match you, I'm surprised" Kurama responded, sounding much more sincere. Ever since he had been freed, Kurama, who was formerly referred to as the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, had become much more calm and forgiving. Certainly, he never would have allowed himself to be summoned by a Shinobi. "I'm interested, who is it?"

"Sasuke Uchiha" Naruto announced, waiting for Kurama's response. Predictably, the beast was not pleased at the sound of his name and roared his disapproval.

"The Uchiha still live on? What a disgrace" Kurama snarled, as he glared his teeth. "If that really is the enemy, then I will assist you Naruto. The Uchiha are dangerous to us all and I would like to be involved in exterminating that clan."

"Let's do it then" Naruto said, as he lifted his shirt. On his stomach, around his navel, was a seal. Its shape was a black swirl, which Naruto then grasped. He turned the seal to the left and Kurama began to dematerialize into a mass of orange chakra. This chakra then merged into the seal, and a bright, yellow light surrounded Naruto. However, that wasn't the only change in his appearance, as the whiskers on his cheeks became bolded and several black shapes were engrained on his body. Just as Naruto turned to leave, as voice called out.

"Naruto!" was the cry, as Hinata came running over to her husband. "Naruto, you don't really have to go do you?" Tears formed in her eyes as she spoke, and it was all she could do to not break down.

"Don't worry" Naruto said, smiling. "I'll be back in no time. Kurama's with me, so it should be no problem. You just worry about protecting the little one in there." Naruto touched Hinata's stomach and he could feel his unborn child growing inside her. His determination to protect his new family is what pushed him on, and it was a much-needed reminder before this great battle.

Naruto looked up at everyone else and smiled. He was so proud of everyone and what they had become. They were no longer the children; they were the leaders of the village. He gave thumbs up to everyone, just before he spoke.

"I'll be back here before you've even finished with your jobs, believe it!"

He then turned at set off into the air at unbelievable pace. All anybody saw was a yellow flash before he disappeared.

"Alright everyone" Kakashi declared, "we have orders to follow. Let's go and seal these Uchiha quickly, so we can go and help Naruto."

"Kakashi, don't get too confident, it's not going to be that easy" a mystery voice called out, as Kakashi turned around to see whom this new challenger was.


	9. Letting Go of the Past

Chapter 9: Letting Go of the Past

Kakashi turned his head around to see who exactly had shouted his name. The person, or boy, that he saw was rather small. He wore a blue outfit that had the Uchiha crest on the back and had orange goggles strapped to his forehead. His hair was spikey and black but his most distinguishing feature was the fact that he had only one eye, with his left eye being merely an empty socket.

"Obito?" Kakashi gasped, absolutely dumbfounded at seeing his dead friend in front of him.

"Wow, Kakashi" Obito said, his cheery disposition clashing with his appearance. "You've gotten old while I've been away! Glad to see that Sharingan isn't going to waste, guess my present was useful after all, huh?"

Kakashi tried to speak, but he couldn't find the words. In the past, he'd have given anything to see Obito again. However, he would have never imagined that their reunion would be in this situation. A whole mix of emotions stirred up within the conflicted Jonin, ranging from anger to guilt.

"I'm glad I finally found someone that I know" Obito said, "so where's Rin and Minato Sensei?"

Kakashi couldn't even bare to look at his fallen friend at this point. How could he possibly tell him?

"Obito, they-, their-" Kakashi mumbled, not sure if he could get through it. "They both died a while back. I couldn't protect Rin and I broke my promise to you, I'm so sorry."

Kakashi felt tears form in his eyes as he spoke. He hadn't allowed himself to cry since that day in The Land of Grass, but he found his emotional defenses being penetrated by Obito once again.

"Oh, I see" Obito muttered, sounding rather disappointed. "It's fine Kakashi, I'm sure that you did what you could. What about me? What am I doing here?"

Kakashi was still completely paralyzed by shock. Luckily, Gai walked over to assist his comrade.

"Obito, you might not remember me" Gai began, while putting his arm around Kakashi's shoulder for support. "I'm Might Gai, Kakashi's comrade."

"Sure, I remember you" Obito said, while he reminisced. "You specialized in taijutsu right?"

"Yeah, that's right" Gai replied, "listen, you've been revived by a secret, forbidden technique called-"

"Obito, what are you doing?" a voice shouted, as another wave Uchiha arrived. The man who spoke stared directly at Kakashi and suddenly smiled ominously. "What an interesting situation this is."

"Fugaku!" Kakashi exclaimed, "should have known that you'd be around here somewhere."

"Kakashi, good to see you again" Fugaku replied in a harsh tone. "I'm glad that I'll be here to see you lose that stolen Sharingan of yours. Obito, kill Kakashi."

Both Kakashi and Obito silently stared at each other for a moment. Would they really have to fight each other?

"Master Fugaku" Obito whimpered, "I don't want to-"

"You have no choice," Fugaku yelled, "because, unfortunately for you, Sasuke gave me a jutsu to deal with unwilling participants."

Fugaku closed his eyes and made a hand seal, before quickly opening them again and staring at Obito. Immediately, Obito began moving towards Kakashi.

"I'm sorry Kakashi" Obito cried, as he picked up pace. Obito launched at his best friend and unleashed a flurry of taijutsu. Kakashi easily avoided everything that Obito unleashed, but he wouldn't dare launch at counter attack. Obito then jumped back to create some distance.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A giant ball of fire hurtled towards Kakashi, who moved quickly to dodge. The difference between the powers of the Chunnin and the elite Jonin was obvious, yet Kakashi refused to take advantage. How could he?

"Kakashi!" Gai yelled, as he held off three opponents at once. "Fight back! We need to resolve this quickly and there's no time for you to hold back!"

Kakashi heard his friend's words, but he chose to ignore them. Obito began another barrage of attacks and Kakashi inexplicably let his guard down, allowing Obito to land a hit on his face. Obito then sent another fireball towards Kakashi, who didn't even try to dodge. Shikamaru rescued him at the last moment, which kept him from harm.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" the confused Jonin asked.

"I deserve to die" Kakashi sobbed, tears falling from his eyes. "Obito is dead because of me. This is how I need to make up for what I have done wrong."

Shikamaru was speechless as he listened to one of his mentors cry like a child. The great Kakashi of the Sharingan, a man famous in every country, was whimpering in front of him and he had no idea what to do. For once in his life, Shikamaru had no idea what to do.

"Hey, Kakashi!" Obito roared, as he prepared another jutsu. "Are you crying over there? Stop being such a loser!"

As Kakashi listened, he thought back to the old days with Obito, Rin and Minato Sensei. He smiled as he remembered the missions they went on and the enemies they defeated. He remembered all of the times that he and Obito fought, all of the times that they laughed together, and the one time they cried together. It brought Kakashi back to reality, and left him thanking Obito for saving him again.

"Shikamaru" he whispered, being careful to make sure that the Uchiha couldn't hear him. "I have a plan, follow these directions."

"Hey Kakashi!" Obito hollered once again, "you feeling like answering me!"

"Oh, it's nothing" Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask. "I guess I just had something in my eye. Now then, how about I remind you why I was promoted to Jonin before you?"

Kakashi activated his Lightning Blade and charged. His sheer speed and power was too much for the young Uchiha to handle and Kakashi obliterated him. Of course, Obito soon regenerated but this time he was not alone.

"I'm surprised that you chose to fight back," Fugaku rasped as he landed next to Obito. "Although, now I can do the deed myself. No matter how skilled you are at using the Sharingan, you can never top the Uchiha."

"We'll see about that" Kakashi replied, determination obvious in his voice. The two men ran at each other and fought, the sound of clashing metal filling the air. The battle was intense and Kakashi was surprised at Fugaku's strength.

_I guess I now know why he was head of the Uchiha clan _Kakashi thought, as they both clashed with fire jutsu. Kakashi was able to overpower Fugaku's attack, although his enemy soon regenerated. Kakashi scanned his surroundings, and realized that the plan he had told Shikamaru was coming to fruition.

_All right, almost everyone is in place; I just have to do my part now. _

Kakashi dove at Fugaku, his kunai drawn. Fugaku did likewise and the two warriors pressed against each other. The stress of the situation, as well as his age, was taking its toll on Kakashi, who struggled to win the exchange.

"Finally" Fugaku whispered, staring right into Kakashi's eye. "I'll be able to reclaim that eye of yours. You might be good Kakashi, but you can't match our Sharingan powers."

"Your right, I can't match them," Kakashi admitted, while making sure he kept staring at Fugaku. "I can do better than that."

Kakashi switched to his Mangekyo design, which caused Fugaku to stop.

"You? No, I don't believe it" Fugaku gasped.

Kakashi took his opportunity and kicked the head Uchiha in the stomach. The force of the hit sent Fugaku 10 meters backwards but he was quick to get back to his feet.

"It doesn't matter" Fugaku screamed, sounding incomprehensible. "I'll still kill you Kakashi!"

Kakashi stood there, with his hand in his pocket.

"How will you do that when you can't move?" Kakashi said nonchalantly. Fugaku tried to attack, before realizing that Kakashi was right. Why couldn't he move? Then, after looking around, he figured it out. They had been played for fools.

"The Nara clan" Fugaku said through gritted teeth, "I knew that jutsu was trouble."

The entire Uchiha clan were all stood in one big group and were all paralyzed with one giant Shadow Possession Jutsu. Members of the Nara clan were stood around them, maintaining the jutsu, while several other shinobi stood around the outside, ready to seal.

"All right Kakashi" Shikamaru said, who was kneeling nearby. "Just give the word and these scumbags will be sealed."

Kakashi looked over at the group and saw Obito standing in the crowd. He sighed and turned to the Leaf Shinobi that were gathered.

"Just give me a minute, I need to say something."

Before anyone from the Leaf could object, Fugaku yelled out.

"You think that we care what you have to say? Just get this over with it doesn't matter anyway. Sasuke will kill you all once he's finished with that Uzumaki kid."

"Are you listening to yourselves?" Kakashi said, while he scanned the faces of the clan. "What happened to the noble Uchiha clan? What happened to clan who wanted peace so badly that they made a truce with their arch rivals?"

"We are here to get revenge for-"

"Revenge!" Kakashi shouted, "your still talking about revenge. Revenge and hatred seems to be all you were about, isn't that right Fugaku? Do you know what that has led to? Do you realize what it turned your sons into? It drove Itachi, a man who hated violence and desired peace, into killing you all. It turned Sasuke into the terrifying person you saw today. Even you must be shocked by what your child has become."

Fugaku stared back at Kakashi, unsure what to say. He couldn't look Kakashi in the eye as he stared at the ground.

"How can my son be saved?" Fugaku whispered, just loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

"He's with the only man that can save him now" Kakashi replied.

Fugaku looked back up and smiled.

"I hope that the next time I see him, he'll be the man I know he can be," he said, before he began to disintegrate. The other Uchiha behind him dud the same, but Kakashi wasn't looking at them. He was looking for Obito, and he smiled as he saw his friend leave this world once again.

After the Uchiha had gone, Kakashi went over to the group of Shinobi that had gathered near the entrance to the Village.

"We need to go to help Naruto," he said to the group at large.

"We don't know where he is," Sakura said, while playing with her gloves.

"Actually, I have a pretty good idea" Kakashi said, as he began set out towards their destination. Before he could leave, however, two figures jumped ahead of him.

"Forget about us, did you?" Suigetsu said, with his giant, bloodstained sword unsheathed and pointing towards the group.

"Leave them to us" Neji said, with Rock Lee and TenTen standing next to him.

"You go ahead, and give Naruto a message from us."

"What would that be?" Sakura asked.

"Live" all three said together, as they prepared for their battle to come.

Further away from the village, Sasuke stood on the edge of a mountain, contemplating his thoughts.

_Once I'm done here, I can go back and finish off the Leaf Village and after that, maybe the Cloud Village. Although, Suigetsu might bother me into attacking the Mist Village. Whatever, I can finish off the world at my leisure once I've killed that idiot. _

Just then, there was a crashing noise that came from the mountain behind Sasuke. Sasuke turned to see a blinding, yellow light.

"That took you long enough" Sasuke said, his eyes bearing down on the man in front of him.

"So, you actually did choose this place" Naruto replied, a slight smile etched on his face. "A touch dramatic, don't you think?"

"No, it's destiny" Sasuke yelled, apparently annoyed at how Naruto had mocked his choice of location. "Here, at the Valley of the End, is where you will meet your demise!"


	10. Izanami

Chapter 10: Izanami

Rain began to fall from the heavens as Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other. Naruto's arms were rigid and pointing to the floor, as he tried to control his burning rage. Meanwhile, Sasuke's arms were folded and he seemed completely at ease. His Sharingan was active, but he made no suggestion that he was going to attack any time soon.

"What are you waiting for?" Sasuke asked, not at all sounding like he was about to face a battle with destiny.

"Me!" Naruto roared, "what about you? You were the one who made the first move and you were the one who brought me here. Why don't you attack?"

"Because I'm not the one who has a time limit on his power" Sasuke replied, as he flashed Naruto a luck full of confidence.

_He's right _Kurama rumbled from deep within Naruto. _This mode can only last about another 8 minutes. We have to finish him off within that time. The longer you wait, the better for him. _

Naruto twitched as he feigned an intention to attack. Unexpectedly, Sasuke didn't summon his Susano'o. Instead, he switched to his Mangekyo Sharingan, but didn't use any jutsu.

_Why isn't he doing anything? _Naruto wondered. _If he wants to beat me, he'll have to resort to his Susano'o, so why is he taking this chance?_

_Does it matter? _Kurama asked _if he's stupid enough to let his defenses down you should take advantage. Attack now, before he realizes his mistake. _

With that, Naruto kicked off the ground and sent himself hurtling towards Sasuke. Naruto's speed in this form was far greater than what Sasuke had shown even in his Susano'o armor. Naruto reached Sasuke faster than any eye could see and he prepared to strike a finishing blow. However, just before the hit could land, Sasuke dodged and delivered a blow of his own. The hit was strong enough to force Naruto away, but it didn't deal that much damage.

_What was that? _Naruto asked in frustration. _How could he possibly be that fast in his normal state?_

_Look out Naruto! _Kurama cried, as Sasuke moved in with his palm set alight. Naruto was just about able to parry the effort and put a gap between himself and Sasuke.

"How could you have got this fast?" Naruto asked, trying to stall for time as he came up with a plan.

"Technically, I'm not obliged to answer" Sasuke replied, his gaze unwavering. "However, I'll tell you, seeing as you need all the help you can get. I'm employing a special jutsu that only those with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan can use, called Izanami."

_I've never heard of that _Kurama said, mirroring Naruto's confusion.

"The jutsu" Sasuke continued, "slows down time for the user, meaning that to me you move much slower. This allows me to gain a speed advantage, although, to your credit the advantage isn't as big as I thought it would be. Look's like that beast gives you an even bigger boost than I thought."

_He can slow down time now? That's insane _Naruto said to his partner inside of him. _It's also a huge problem. No matter what I can do, he's going to hold the edge. With this jutsu, Sasuke is unstoppable. _

_Not necessarily _Kurama responded _have you forgotten what Itachi told you? Every jutsu has a weakness; we just have to find it. Naruto, attack again and I'll analyze this technique. _

Naruto did as he was told and charged at Sasuke. The battle that followed was longer and Naruto was doing everything in his power to avoid Sasuke's strikes. Eventually, he couldn't hold off any longer and Sasuke's Chidori pierced his stomach, before he was kicked down in to the water below. Fortunately, Naruto was able to repair the wound, but it cost him chakra and reduced the time he could spend in the form.

_You got anything? _Naruto pleaded to Kurama.

_It's not much, but there is something you should know _the fox replied, trying to sound optimistic. _This jutsu of his appears to be costing him a large amount of chakra while it's active. You'll just have to keep attacking and force him to use the jutsu and waste his chakra. This is a battle of chakra reserves now and I like our odds. _

_Are you crazy? _Naruto exclaimed _if he starts hitting us with his other Mangekyo techniques, your chakra will soon run low. It's not going to work._

_Who are you calling crazy? _Kurama roared, deafening Naruto's mortal ears. _He can't use his other Sharingan techniques while this one is active. Any damage he could do to you will be minimal, such as that Chidori from earlier._

Naruto smiled as he realized that Kurama was right. He then prepared to attack again, but when he looked up he saw Sasuke standing with his arm pointing towards the skies. The thunderstorm above them had intensified over the course of the battle and lightning was clearly in the air. Naruto hadn't noticed, due to the sheer amount of concentration that he had to use.

"Maybe you should concentrate more on me and less on talking to your little friend" Sasuke spat, as he arm began to glow. "This next jutsu is unavoidable, even for you. Come!"

The lightning in the sky formed into the shape of a great beast, which snarled as it looked down at Naruto. As Sasuke dropped his arm forcefully, the beast followed and attacked Naruto, who didn't have time to react. In desperation, Kurama took over and released a shield of chakra, protecting both of them. After the jutsu ended and the shield receded, Kurama groaned.

_That was a formidable technique _he said, sounding very bitter. _I had to use more chakra than I thought. We still have more than enough to outlast him, but we need to be careful that we don't get caught like that again. _

_It should be all right _Naruto said, as he made sure to keep his eyes on Sasuke. _The clouds are clearing, it appears that it's a one shot jutsu. He can't use any other technique that can produce damage on that scale, so we just have to wait him out now. _

As Naruto finished speaking to Kurama, Sasuke withdrew his sword. He took a glance at it, and then it suddenly ignited with black flames.

"If that won't do the trick, then maybe these inextinguishable black flames will," Sasuke snarled, as another smile formed. He then jumped down and charged at Naruto, his speed advantage still as great as ever. Naruto panicked and began dodging the deadly blade, trying to ensure his survival. However, the inevitable happened and Sasuke caught Naruto's arm with his Amaterasu. Naruto howled in pain as the flames began to spread, consuming his entire body.

"Kurama!" Naruto screamed out loud, no longer trying to keep their conversation from Sasuke.

"_Damn it" _the beast roared, as he set to work. He used his chakra to contain the flames, before firing them away into the distance. _That cost a lot more chakra than I thought it would. That damn Uchiha brat and that repugnant Sharingan, complete scum. _

"You have an annoying habit of living when all the odds say that you're going to die, don't you Naruto?" Sasuke mocked. Despite the calmness in his voice, Sasuke's eyes were full of malice and hate. He was desperate to kill Naruto and was becoming very frustrated at his failure to do so.

_Naruto _Kurama began, _you need to use the Tailed Beast Ball. It's the only way now, as I'm not so sure we can hold him off, now that he can still use Amaterasu. _

_There's no way he could survive that _Naruto said, instantly regretting it.

_Wake up Naruto! _Kurama shouted, incensed at the young Hokage's words. _I can't believe you still think, even now, that you can save him. You are Hokage; he will destroy your village if you don't finish him off here. You have to do it!_

Naruto was shaking as he listened to Kurama's lecture, his inner conflict beginning to surface. How could he kill Sasuke?

"I was just thinking, Naruto, about what I'd do after I kill you" Sasuke smirked, as he looked at the man he once considered a friend. "Maybe, I'll finish off Kakashi, or Sakura, that's if the other Uchiha haven't already done so."

Naruto ignored the hurtful words. He wouldn't rise to it.

"I know" Sasuke continued, "I'll kill that wife of yours and that unborn brat. Can't have anymore Uzumaki's running around can I?"

Naruto's face changed at that moment. His eyes screwed up and he began to shake uncontrollably. He then screamed, releasing years of anger he'd built up and was surrounding by a shroud of chakra, resembling the fox spirit within him. Naruto then opened up his arms, and Kurama's mouth with it. An orb of black chakra soon formed in front of him, aimed at Sasuke. Naruto didn't say a word, his anger completely controlling him.

_What a fool _Sasuke thought, as he watched Naruto prepare to attack. _I'll be able to dodge that easily, and then when he's all out of chakra I'll finish him off. Still, it's an exciting ending._

Sasuke blinked and activated his jutsu, trying to slow down time once more. However, he then came to a horrible realization.

_Shit! I don't have enough chakra left to use Izanami. Guess I'll have to handle this a different way._

Sasuke then summoned his ethereal guardian, the Susano'o, in it's full form. He positioned the shield it held, the Yata Mirror, in front of himself for protection.

"Try it Naruto" he screamed, "let's see you destroy this!"

Without waiting to be asked again, Naruto launched the attack at Sasuke. The great ball of chakra and the shield clashed, with the sound echoing 100km in each direction. Both Naruto and Sasuke pushed back, desperately trying to win this battle.

_The shield is cracking _Sasuke thought, as he observed the small holes forming in front of him. _I'm going to have to use more of my own chakra to maintain it._

Sasuke covered up the cracks, but struggled to keep it up. However, Naruto wasn't having an easy time either.

_Kurama, I can't break through _Naruto cried, _I need to use as much of your chakra as I can. _

Naruto increased the power of the attack, while Sasuke continued to suppress. The mountain around them began to crack under the sheer pressure of the exchange, before it was destroyed altogether, with pieces of rock falling all around them.

_No, the shields about to break _Sasuke screamed to himself as he watched his ultimate defense crumble. _I'm going to have to release the all of my chakra to deflect this. _

_I need to put all of my own chakra into this if I'm going to overpower that shield _Naruto thought, as he pushed back. Both Naruto and Sasuke screamed as their attacks collided and the famous Valley of the End was reduced to rubble. 


	11. The End of an Era

Chapter 11: The End of an Era

Kakashi was concerned after he heard a huge explosion ahead of him and felt the force of a powerful shockwave, which occurred only a matter of minutes after a smaller explosion had shook the ground. Their battle was certainly emitting a large amount of power.

"I wish we had Neji or Hinata with us" Sakura said, as the group picked up the pace. "They would have been able to tell us what's happening up there. I still think that you could have let Hinata come with us. She was worried about Naruto and she would have been able to handle moving this far."

"No" Kakashi said firmly, "Naruto would never forgive me if something happened to her or his child. It's for the best."

Kakashi hoped that his lie was convincing, as it most certainly wasn't true. Kakashi didn't let Hinata come because he was terrified about what they would find once they reached their destination. Would Naruto be able to survive another encounter with Sasuke? The explosions up ahead hadn't eased his fears in any way.

"We're almost there, so let's really pick up the pace!" Kakashi yelled, desperate to just reach Naruto now.

The water still rippled after the impact of the rocks. Small pieces of mountain that once attested to a legendary battle fell to earth. The nearby trees were blown away and were replaced with the scorch marks that would scar the earth forever. Amongst the rubble, two Shinobi lay still while the chaos of the clash was scattered around them. After a few minutes, one of the bodies stirred and tried to get up.

"I can barely move" Naruto gasped, as he tried to stand. "Aaaah!"

He cried out as the seal on his stomach burned red hot. Chakra poured out and Kurama reformed in front of him. The great beast looked over at the body that lay a few meters away and growled.

"Is he dead?" the beast asked, unsure about the situation.

"I don't know" Naruto responded, as he too looked over wearily. "Either way, you should leave Kurama."

The fox stared back at Naruto, with a look of slight confusion on his face. Whenever Kurama made these faces, Naruto could almost be fooled into thinking that he was just a regular animal that you could find in the wild. Of course, Kurama was capable of ending that particular fantasy.

"Why? I could help finish him off if he's alive" Kurama suggested, concerned about Naruto's lack of fear.

"It's too risky" Naruto replied, "if he's still alive, then his Mangekyo Sharingan could be used to control you and that would be a disaster for both of us. Just get out of here while you still can."

Kurama smiled at this. Naruto really did care for all living things and he was the only Shinobi that Kurama could trust.

"I'll see you soon Naruto" Kurama said, which sounded more like a question than an answer. Naruto didn't respond as the tailed beast disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto continued to lie on the floor, his injuries and lack of chakra contributing to his difficulty to stand. He closed his eyes and focused on Sasuke, trying to sense his chakra.

_I can't feel it _Naruto thought, almost feeling sad. _He must be de-_

"You really are a fool, Naruto" came a condescending voice. Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke struggling to his feet. He was amazed that Sasuke had been able to survive the attack and was even more amazed that he was now trying to keep fighting. After all these years, he still didn't want to be inferior to Naruto.

Sasuke stumbled slightly as he got to his feet. He could feel pain in every part of his body and had never been so exhausted.

_I'm so low on chakra that I can barely use the normal Sharingan _he groaned, as he looked over at Naruto. _He was so confident he'd won that he even got rid of his pet. As always, he's just a little knucklehead. _

Naruto was also able to stand and both Shinobi stood, glaring at each other. This battle had lived up to both their expectations, but it wasn't done yet. The winner was still to be decided.

_I have such a small amount of chakra left, I only have one jutsu I can use _Sasuke thought, as he wearily made some hand seals. Naruto watched him and realized what was happening.

_He's going to attack, huh? Guess I'll do the same_

Naruto created a shadow clone and held out his palm. The clone began rotating Naruto's chakra, as the attack was formed. Once he was done, he prepared to attack, and noticed Sasuke's hand sparkling with lightning.

"I feel like we've been here before" Naruto joked, not letting the reality of the situation get to him.

"Yes" Sasuke replied, clearly not looking to revel in the nostalgia. "And the result will be the same as it was back then!"

Sasuke pushed himself and ran towards Naruto. His pace was impressive, given the injuries he had sustained. Naruto matched him and prepared his attack. Both Shinobi approached each other, with their arms pulled back. Once they were within range, they thrust their attacks at each other and were surrounded by a blinding light.

Both of the Shinobi found themselves in a room made of a white light. There were nothing else surrounding them except the light and they only had each other for company. They had been here once before, of course, and Sasuke had not wanted to see this place again. For Naruto, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

"Top class Shinobi, eh?" Naruto said, chuckling. "You were the one who told me about this, yet both times you've been unwilling to participate."

Sasuke continued to stare without any hint of co-operation, so Naruto continued.

"Why, Sasuke? Why can't you let it go, after all these years?"

"I've told you before" Sasuke responded, after a long pause. "You don't understand me and you never will. You-"

"Don't know your parents, you never had those ties so you don't what it's like to lose them" Naruto said, finishing Sasuke's sentence. "You say this all the time, yet you don't even try to explain."

Sasuke considered Naruto's word, before deciding what to do.

"Alright, I'll tell you" Sasuke said reluctantly. "After my family was slaughtered, I was left alone. The village didn't care about me, outside of the initial sympathy. I latched onto hatred for Itachi, to give me something to focus on. Then, when I found out what my brother had gone through, I realized what I really hated. This village, which abandoned me, was the true cause of my pain. The village is why my life has been one misery after another and they must suffer like I did and like the clan did. Now, with my clan resurrected –"

"You call that being resurrected?" Naruto yelled, "their not alive, Sasuke. They are the walking dead who will never find peace now. You are causing them more pain than the village ever did."

"No" Sasuke said, sounding unconvinced. His voice quivered as he spoke. "Their not, I can see them and I can hear them. I can hug my parents again, so don't you dare say that they are in pain."

"You're just a fool, Sasuke" Naruto declared, stunning the Uchiha. "You think that hatred can fill that hole in your heart? Tell me, you've killed the Raikage. Let's say you've crushed the Leaf and you're about to kill me. Are you happy, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's eyes pierced Naruto's after question was asked. There was tension between them for a few moments, before Sasuke's eyes moved away. The action was revealing and all Naruto needed to see.

"I'm not here to be happy" Sasuke said, his tone one of misery. "I'm an avenger and it's all I've ever been. It's my duty to gain revenge for the destruction of my clan."

"Who gave you this duty, Sasuke?" Naruto pressed, knowing that he was on to something now. "Nobody said that you had to do this. So, if it doesn't make you happy and you're not being forced to do it, then why?"

Sasuke began to shake uncontrollably. Everything he had based his life on, everything that he had thought about over the last 7 years in particular, was being deconstructed.

"I don't know Naruto!" he screamed, not knowing where to direct his frustration. "I can't answer your stupid questions! I just hate you, I hate your village, I hate-"

Naruto walked over at this moment and put his arm on Sasuke's shoulder, who had began to cry.

"I could have gone down this road" Naruto said, "I do know how this feels. You hate and hate so much and you're not sure where to direct it. I was so close to becoming you. I avoided it because I let it go. Now, all of my dreams have come true and I'm a pretty happy guy."

Sasuke stared back at Naruto, who was grinning widely. He took a breath and calmed himself. He wasn't sure what to say exactly but he knew that because of the situation, there was only one thing he could say.

"I'm sorry, Naruto" he said, not even able to look at Naruto as he spoke. For Naruto, that was enough and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like this was worth it then" Naruto said, as the light surrounding them dimmed before going out completely.

Kakashi was the first of the group to reach the Valley, and see the destruction that lay ahead. Rain poured down and soaked the ground as Kakashi surveyed the damage. In the middle of the wreckage, he saw two shapes and his heart sank. He could barely stand as he walked over to them. The rest of the group caught up and they all had a similar reaction.

"Naruto" Sakura said, as she failed to fight back the tears. She also cried for Sasuke but couldn't let the others know. The rest of the group shed tears as they mourned the loss of their friend.

"He stuck to his word" Kakashi began, as he dried his eyes. "He said that he would die with Sasuke if they fought again. He always did make a big deal out of keeping his word."

Kakashi and Gai carried both bodies back to the village, where they were buried. Naruto's body lay with the rest of the deceased Hokage, while Sasuke was reunited with his family, as he was buried with the rest of the Uchiha clan.

Two Shinobi, linked by fate to be rivals for life. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha died with an understanding of each other and went into the next world to live as equals.


End file.
